Shipping container for bulky items



April 1970 c. w. GRAFSLUND 3,504,342

SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR BULKY ITEMS Filed March 17. 1967 m T m V m (M43453 Meugszaw m4, WW I E y 4770211451 6 United States Patent 3,504,842 SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR BULKY ITEMS Charles W. Grafslund, 4281 Old Orchard Road, Minneapolis, lVIinn. 17403 Filed Mar. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 623,886 Int. Cl. B65d /00, 85/64 US. Cl. 229-23 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A shipping or storage container for bulky articles or items including a base member, means for positioning the item on the base member, a tubular carton member receivable over the article and about the sides of the base member, a plurality of flap members extending from the base of said tubular body for forming about the base member and arranged for attachment to the underside of said base member, and cap means for closing the uppermost end of the tubular body.

A shipping container and the like for the shipment and storage of appliances or similar bulky cabinet articles providing a completely sealed and enclosed unit. The container includes a base member arranged to receive the article to be shipped thereon with means for fastening the article thereto, which base member is substantially planar in configuration and provided with support pads thereon for supporting the article. A carton body preferably of fiber board is arranged to drop over the stored article and is provided with a plurality of foldable flaps on the lowermost ends thereof, which flaps are designed to be attached to the base and close the article thereby and which flaps in attached position are arranged in substantially planar relation on the base. A cover member of well-known design may be utilized for the top closure of the carton body. In order to maintain more vertical stability and prevent the article from moving within the carton body, a plurality of packing members may be inserted into the container to abut with and hold the corners of the appliance or cabinet.

The shipping or storage container provided herein by applicant includes a completely enclosed packaging member which provides support and means for mounting an appliance or article to the base of the container with means for securely and positively retaining a carton body completely around the appliance or article by attaching the same at selected areas to the base member. The attachment arrangement utilized in this type of carton body is to provide a completely planar arrangement for all of the bottom closure flaps such that the unit will be in sub stantially sealed condition. It should be obvious that when overlapping flap closures are utilized, the article is not in a sealed condition.

It is therefore an object of applicants invention to provide a shipping or storage container for the storage of appliances or similar bulky cabinet items, having a base and a carton body overlapping onto the base and positively closed thereagainst to provide a completely sealed unit for the container.

It is a further object of applicants invention to provide a storage or shipping cabinet or the like which includes a substantially stable construction while utilizing basic corrugated material and including only selected portions thereof of substantially stronger materials such as plywood, hardwood or the like.

It is still a further object of applicants invention to provide a carton closure for the storage or shipment of appliances and similar bulky cabinets, which carton is designed to completely enclose the appliance and which "ice is securely closed to a base member through the utilization of a plurality of fastening flaps which flaps are arranged in substantially planar relation after closing against the base member.

It is still a further object of applicants invention to provide a container for shipment and storage of appliances and the like, which container is easily afiixed to a base member with positioning means Within the container to prevent any movement of the article Within the carton.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following descrip tion, made in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded view of a shipping container embodying the concepts of applicants invention, which figure includes a base member and an article to be stored illustrated thereabove with packaging members for arrangement about the article and a container body to be received over the article; and

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the assembled carton illustrating the closure flaps in closed relation thereon.

In accordance with the accompanying drawing, the completed Container provided by applicant for housing an article A consists of a base 11 and a carton body 12 to be received over the article and to be locked onto the base 11 through various attachment means. The base 11, in the form shown, consists of a continuous support member 11 preferably formed of plywood, hard board, fiber board or similar panel stock with a plurality of article supporting blocks 13 arranged thereon and attached thereto, Which supporting blocks 13 are preferably formed from a relatively strong and stable material such as wood, plywood, or particle board. Attachment holes 13a are formed through the support blocks 13 for the passage of attachment bolts 14 or the like therethrough, which bolts 14 will be received into the base of the article A for positive attachment thereof to the base 11.

The carton body 12, in the form shown, consists of a generally tubular member having side walls 16 and end walls 17 each of which is provided with a downwardly extending flap respectively designated 18, 19. Each of the flaps 18, 19 are provided with mitered corners 18a, 19a thereon such that the flaps 18, 19 will, when in folded position below the support member 11, lying in substantially planar relationship. As illustarted in FIGURE 2, a number of attaching members 20 may be secured to the base member 11 and pass through the flaps 18, 19 to secure the same to the base member. As illustrated, the attachment members 20 may be arranged at the overlapping mitered corner portions 18a, 19a or may extend along the respective inwardly extending edges of the flaps 18, 19. This attachment arranged between the respective flaps 18, 19 and the base member 11 will obviously provide a completely sealed relationship between the container body 12 and the support member 11, and it should also be obvious that a substantially flat surface will be provided upon which the carton unit may sit. This flat surface is, of course, obtained by the mitering of the respective corners 18a, 19a of the closure flaps 18, 19.

An upper closure 21 will be provided on the carton body 12, and this closure 21 may, as in the form shown, comprise a cap-type cover or may be of the interlocking flap type. The cap-type cover, of course, will continue with the concept of scalability although it would obviously be possible to seal a flap type arrangement also.

In the form shown, a plurality of internal blocking members 2222 are illustrated to be arranged in agreement with the corners of the article A to be packed within the carton 12, and these blocking members 22 will,

of course, assist in holding the fiber board carton 12 in proper relation to the article A and will likewise hold the unit as a unitized member. The length of the blocking members 22 to accomplish this object is picked in accordance with the vertical dimensions of the article A to be shipped.

To prepare an appliance or similar article for shipment or storage, the appliance A is initially mounted on the base 11 and secured thereto with the bolts 14 or the like through the drilled holes 13a in the support blocks 13. In order to promote and provide the planar relationship of the bottom carton flanges 18, 19, it may of course be necessary to counter-bore the holes 13a through the support panel 11 and blocks 13. Carton 12 is then dropped over the appliance A such that the scorelines 18b, 19b defining the bottom flaps 18, 19 of the sides and ends thereof are flush with the bottom edge of the base member 11. The blocking members or corner pads 22 are then placed within the carton 12 between the appliance and the inner carton Wall to maintain the proper clearance between the carton and the appliance and to likewise aid in positioning the carton about the appliance. These vertical pads or blocking members 22 are positioned on top of the base member 11 and by properly determining the vertical length thereof, will prevent the base 11 and appliance A assembly from moving in a vertical plane after the carton is completely closed. The next step in the closure of the unit is to secure the bottom flaps 18, 19 to the bottom of the base member 11 using any of the conventional closure means such as glues, staples or the like. A final step in providing the completed container is to apply a top cover unit and as illustrated, a cap type cover or other conventional closure methods such as staples, flaps or interlocking flange designs for the top cover may be utilized. The unit, as completed, provides a storage container having a high degree of stability and high degree of protectability for the appliance contained therein.

It should be obvious that applicant has provided a new and unique carton which carton is of relatively simple construction while providing a high degree of rigidity and protectability for an appliance contained therein.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangements and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A shipping or storage container for appliances, bulky articles or the like including:

(a) a rigid base member having a plurality of mountting bores therein for securing an article thereon;

(b) means for releasably positioning and securing an article on the upper surface of said rigid base member',

(c) a tubular carton body with at least three generally rectangular walls receivable over the article and about the edge surfaces of said rigid base member;

(d) a flap member extending from and in continuation with the lower depending edges of each wall of said tubular body for forming about the edge surfaces of said base member and arranged to be folded inwardly for direct and secure attachment to the under surface of said rigid base member, said flap members covering a substantial portion of the area of said rigid base member; and

(e) means for closing the uppermost end of said carton body.

2. The structure as set forth in claim 1, and said rigid base member forming a substantially planar member with a continuous edge surface to provide, when said carton body is received thereover, a substantially completely sealed unit.

3. The structure as set forth in claim 1, and the respective sides of each of said flap members being beveled to permit side-by-side closure in a non-overlapping substantially planar configuration.

4. The structure as set forth in claim 1, and corner blocking means receivable within said carton body to abut with the inner carton wall of said body and the corners of the article to be stored.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,319,641 5/1943 Speir 22923 2,818,972 1/1958 Claus 20646 2,932,438 4/1960 Smith 20646 XR 3,022,885 2/ 19-62 Mueller et al 20646 3,145,901 8/]9-64 Gile 22923 OTHER REFERENCES 3 M Company Publication (9 p.) received in the Patent office Aug. 13, 1945.

DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 20646 

